On the night of October 26, my social media timelines became filled with people talking about The Satanic Temple. Simultaneously, Amy Coney Barrett became a confirmed judge for SCOTUS. So, many were expressing concerns for their reproductive rights.
But, how does The Satanic Temple relate to this?
Many of the posts were of people questioning if they should join The Satanic Temple. I even saw people show confirmations that they joined. One TikTok I stumbled across from @alluringskull read, “ Remember that under the first amendment your right to an abortion is protected if you’re a Satanist”.
The recent confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, also made me concerned for my own reproductive rights. Thus, the claims made by these social media posts made me curious. I decided to look into the claims for myself and stumbled across The Satanic Temple’s Abortion Ritual.
The Satanic Temple’s Abortion Ritual
The Temple created the ritual as a way to provide comfort to people seeking an abortion and affirm their own bodily autonomy. Furthermore, it upholds the Third and Fifth Satanic Tenants. The Third Tenant states, “ One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.” The Fifth Tenant states, “Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.”
The rituals focus is on self-love. The ritual requires participants to recite The Third and Fifth Satanic Tenants in the mirror. This is done before and after an abortion, along with taking deep breaths and getting comfortable.
The Satanic Temple states the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) protects their abortion ritual. This act prohibits government interference in a person’s religious practices. Therefore, any actions to delay the ritual or sway participants’ minds would be prohibited. For example, it would prohibit mandatory wait periods and medically unnecessary sonograms to Satanists. The Satanic Temple has expressed that they will challenge states that do not protect Satanists under the RFRA.
The Temple’s Work
With all this in mind, you may be wondering “What is The Satanic Temple?” The Satanic Temple is a federally-recognized religious group. Contrary to popular misconception, they don’t believe in or worship Satan. However, they view Satan as a symbol of rebellion against arbitrary authority.
The Temple states that their mission is, “to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.” As a result, they have worked on multiple campaigns to protect people from theocracy and protect religious freedoms. Just like their campaign for reproductive rights, their other campaigns challenge laws and programs designed to enforced religious beliefs on others.
For more information, visit their page on The Satanic Abortion Ritual.
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